AD-72’s Distinct Split: Edgar & Allen Top Two in Four Cities, Pham & Dovinh Top Two in Two Cities

With the Primary Election certified, we now have clear breakdowns available in every race in the county. First up is the 72nd Assembly District, which had the most distinct divisions in the different parts of the district.

So let’s take a look at how the voting broke down in the nine major parts of AD-72 (the seven cities of Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster along with the two major unincorporated areas of Midway City and Rossmoor).

72nd Assembly District results in each city and major unincorporated area

(Thanks to Matt Rexroad and Chandra Sharma at Meridian Pacific for the map, which I’ve cropped here and to which I have added graphics. Note that the population numbers on the map apply to each whole city, not just the portion of the city in AD-72. Huntington Beach is divided nearly 50/50 between AD-72 and AD-74. A sliver of Santa Ana and the bulk of Garden Grove are in AD-72 while the bulk of Santa Ana and a sliver of Garden Grove are in AD-69.)

In each city, the candidate with the larger head came in first while the candidate with the smaller head came in second:

Edgar came in first with Allen second in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, and Rossmoor.

Pham came in first with Dovinh second in Westminster, Santa Ana, and Midway City.

Pham came in first with Edgar second in Garden Grove.

Here’s their vote totals broken down visually by city:

Seal Beach single-handedly caused Edgar vs. Allen. Without them, it would have been Edgar vs. Pham. Same story with Huntington Beach.

Fountain Valley single-handedly caused the all-Republican matchup. Without them, it would have been Edgar vs. Dovinh.

Here’s how each candidate performed in the various parts of the district:

Edgar came in first or third in every part of the district, except for a second-place finish in Garden Grove and a fourth-place finish in Santa Ana.

Pham came in first or fifth in every part of the district, except for a third-place finish in his home of Fountain Valley.

Dovinh came in second or third in every part of the district, except for a fourth-place finish in Fountain Valley.

Allen came in second or fourth in every part of the district, except for a fifth-place finish in Santa Ana.

Ayala came in fourth or fifth in every part of the district, except for a third-place finish in Santa Ana.

Here’s a chart showing how the candidates did in each city and major unincorporated area:

Huntington Beach
Los Alamitos
Seal Beach
Rossmoor

Fountain Valley

Westminster
Midway City

Santa Ana

Garden Grove

Edgar

Allen

Dovinh

Ayala

Pham

Edgar

Allen

Pham

Dovinh

Ayala

Pham

Dovinh

Edgar

Allen

Ayala

Pham

Dovinh

Ayala

Edgar

Allen

Pham

Edgar

Dovinh

Allen

Ayala

Here are the areas sorted by voter turnout:

Seal Beach: 36.2%

Rossmoor: 34.1%

Fountain Valley: 26.9%

Los Alamitos: 25.5%

Huntington Beach: 24.8%

Westminster: 23.5%

Garden Grove: 21.7%

Midway City: 19.9%

Santa Ana: 18.1%

Now let’s see that voter turnout list again, but with the top two candidates in each city noted:

Seal Beach: Edgar, Allen

Rossmoor: Edgar, Allen

Fountain Valley: Edgar, Allen

Los Alamitos: Edgar, Allen

Huntington Beach: Edgar, Allen

Westminster: Pham, Dovinh

Garden Grove: Pham, Edgar

Midway City: Pham, Dovinh

Santa Ana: Pham, Dovinh

Had voter turnout been just a tad higher in Little Saigon or a tad lower in the non-Little Saigon parts of AD-72, Edgar would be facing off against fellow Republican Pham or Democrat Dovinh.

Looking at Pham’s first-or-fifth performance everywhere (outside of his home of Fountain Valley), it’s clear that Team Pham focused too much energy on Little Saigon. Just a little bit more mail, walkers, or other effort in the non-Little Saigon areas of AD-72 would have been just enough to get him that 0.7% he needed to make the run-off against Edgar.

67% of the voters cast their ballots for the three Republicans while 33% cast their ballots for the two Democrats. The majority of primary election voters (52.2%) cast their ballots for Dovinh, Pham, or Ayala. Edgar and Allen combined to win 47.9% of the vote.

The path to victory for the two November contenders goes through Little Saigon, the Democrats, and the independents. Between Edgar and Allen, whoever can get these large blocs of voters to swing behind them will be the next Assemblyman from the 72nd District.

3 Responses to “AD-72’s Distinct Split: Edgar & Allen Top Two in Four Cities, Pham & Dovinh Top Two in Two Cities”

Cleared for Takeoffsaid

Someone or some group needs to step up and sponsor one or more DEBATES between Edgar and Allen. Both candidates have made donation or have ties to Democrats (in fact, Edgar was registered Dem not long ago) and need to explain their histories.

Edgar needs to explain why he would not sign the ATR Tax Pledge — his personal commitment that he won’t raise taxes is belied by the many taxes and fees he created or extended in Los Alamitos. Allen needs to explain how he could affect taxation if made a member of what could become a super minority in the Assembly.

Who’s up for a debate? League of Woman Voters? 405/605 CRA group? Surf City Tea Party?

[…] First up was AD-72, which showed Mayor Troy Edgar (R-Los Alamitos) and Businessman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) the top two in four cities, OC Board of Education Member Long Pham (R-Fountain Valley) and Planning Commissioner Joe Dovinh (D-Garden Grove) the top two in two cities, and Pham and Edgar the top two in Garden Grove. […]